From the U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,392, there is known a stable combined form of halogenated and/or interhalogenated resins for disinfection of water, comprising a copolymer in the form A/B-X, wherein X includes polyvinylpyridine, having functional pyridyl group C5H5N, being cross-linked with approximately 2-25% of divinylbenzene, wherein A/B is a combination of halogens and/or interhalogens, attached to the nitrogen atom of the functional pyridil group X. The process of obtaining such material comprises processing with halogenides and/or interhalogenides solution in methanol, methyl chloride or chloroform and further washing of the obtained material with water.
Use of poisonous and expensive components in the process of production of the said polymer material not only complicates the process itself but also increases the net cost of the final product, while the obtained polymer material for water disinfection evolves into this water iodine and bromine which are extremely poisonous. Iodine excess leads to thyroid gland diseases while that of bromine leads to the nervous system diseases.
The closest analogue (prototype) of the present invention is a solid water-insoluble cross-linked polymer material selected from the group comprising urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, urea-melamine-formaldehyde resins, described in the Canadian Patent No. 849 614, comprising chlorine atoms reversibly bound with nitrogen atoms and containing no less than 1% of chlorine by weight.
The described polymer material contains weak bonds between nitrogen and chlorine atoms and easily yields chlorine into the environment, thus it can be used for disinfection of different sources of water. This material is obtained by passing at room temperature of gaseous chlorine through aqueous suspension of cross-linked polymer resin, selected from the group comprising urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, urea-melamine-formaldehyde resins.
A disadvantage of such material is that it cannot retain chlorine. In storage, such material self-oxidizes and deteriorates. The process of producing such material needs additional components and stages during chlorination, which complicates the method of production, increases power consumption and eventually increases the net costs of the product. In order to make the product water-insoluble, there is a need for a cross-linkage stage, which, in case melamine-formaldehyde resin is used, takes place in the presence of the additional component such as monohydrate glyoxal, which is poisonous. The process of producing urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin is multistage, needs additional ingredients and is time-consuming. Cross-linkage of urea-formaldehyde resin takes a long time, about 17 hours. Such use of above-described resins for producing chlorinated polymer material is associated with a complicated and time-consuming process of the producing the resin itself, which leads to increased power consumption while usage of free chlorine atom at the stage of chlorination reduces ecological compatibility.
A further development of the invention described in the Canadian Patent No. 849 614 is a solid water-insoluble cross-linked polymer material described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,853, which comprises chlorine atoms reversibly bound with nitrogen atoms, the content of nitrogen being no less than 1% by weight, selected from the group, comprising a) urea-formaldehyde resin; b) melamine-formaldehyde resin; c) urea-melamine-formaldehyde resin; wherein in each case the resin is stabilized by chlorine dioxide or hypochlorite or by multiple chlorination. The inventors proposed a method for stabilization of polymer material to enhance of its resistance to self-oxidation. However, such method of producing a stabilized resin is even more complicated as compared to its prototype, as it comprises additional stages, namely exposure to hypochlorites and chlorine dioxide. Eventually these lead to greater power consumption and an increase in the net costs of the final product, while its resistance to self-oxidation does not improve significantly, approximately up to 3 months, which is not suitable for a long-term storage and long-distance shipment.
There are known polymer cyclic biocidal compounds, comprising N-galamines (galamines meaning chlorine and bromine amines) described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,983. The inventors propose polymer cyclic biocidal compounds and methods of use thereof, wherein functional groups in such compounds, such as halogenated hydantoins, triazine diones or pyrimidinones are mixed with cheap polymer links such as polystyrene, polyethylene or modified polymethacrylamide ones. Said polymer compounds are stable and recyclable insoluble biocides, which yield only small amounts of free halogen and admixtures into the water. They can be used as disinfectants for drinking water, swimming pools, hot baths, industrial water supply systems, heating columns, air conditioning systems, gas flows, paints, oils, ointments, tissues, sterile dressings, coatings, solid surfaces, inserts and containers etc.
Among their disadvantages there are high net costs and low ecological compatibility of the production process itself. Moreover, this process is complicated and is highly work- and power consuming, as expensive and poisonous components are used, namely acetylchloride and carbon disulphide, their vapors being dangerously explosive when contacting with air. Use of compounds that are dangerous for humans exerts an adverse effect on the environment at the place of production and in its vicinity.